Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Stella Says…Corbin is wrong; you should put self before party

by Stella Ramsaroop (Originally published in Guyana's Kaieteur News on 24 October 2007)

It makes me steam under the collar when politicians use the love that people have for their country to manipulate well-intentioned people into compliant apathy. Such is the case with the PNC.

This was quite evident in an article printed in this newspaper yesterday entitled, “Put party before self, Corbin urges members.” The article reported, “Corbin had no doubt that the present difficulties which the party is experiencing would soon be overcome, but he emphasized that all involved must demonstrate a commitment to put party before self-interest.”

I have never heard such gobbledygook in my entire life. A lack of unity is not what will cure the ailments of the PNC, new leadership would be the best medicine to remedy for what truly ails this party.

The members of the PNC are not what is wrong here (other than those who voted for Corbin to remain in leadership). Yet the leaders are trying to make it seem like any discontentment on part of the members is the cause of everything going wrong with the party.

The discontentment of party members is good and just. They should be upset about how their leaders have failed them. They should be disappointed about the way their leaders have been disregarding democracy. They should never unify themselves with these horrific actions that have been taking place.

Let’s be honest for a minute. Does anyone really think Corbin believes any of his own tripe of party unity before self-interest? If he truly believed in putting party before self-interest, he would have stepped down as party leader a long time ago instead of insisting on his own continued leadership even at the expense what was obviously good for the party.

In the world of reality outside of Corbin’s make believe world where everyone bows and curtsies to him, the members of the PNC should be mad. They have every right to question his actions and decisions without being dragged before a disciplinary committee. That is how true democracy works.

Let me set aside some time here to tutor Mr. Corbin on what constitutes a democratic party since he has obviously forgotten (or he never knew in the first place). Robert Corbin, the party means nothing – absolutely NOTHING – without the people.

You are nothing more than a hired hand who is supposed to be doing their bidding. If even one of them – even one – takes issue with how you are doing your job, it is you who needs to clean up your act, not them.

Now let me set you straight, you poor misguided soul, the PNC should be about nothing more than the interests of the people. They are supposed to be looking out for their own self-interests, and so are you and the party!

Corbin, you are so twisted that you have this whole entire thing backward. Party unity is pure hogwash. The party is suppose to be about the people and their interests, not your one man crusade to hold on to what little power that still hasn’t evaporated into thin air.

That you would have the gall to stand in front of party members and tell them to put aside the very interests the party should be championing (like transparency, justice and healthy guidance for the party) is beyond the scope of bad leadership, it is cultish.

Devotion to you and to party purely for the sake of devotion would be masochistic for PNC members – especially given your leadership record. These members are not required to turn a blind eye every time you deny them the quality leadership they deserve just for the sake of “party unity.”

Therefore, it is my recommendation that instead of seeking party unity, as suggested by Robert Corbin, PNC members should instead seek their own self-interests. This is how true disciples of democracy all over the world live their lives. They are not tied down by blind loyalty to a mere man who chases his own self-interests while he preaches group harmony.

I guarantee you today that if each member starts seeking what she or he feels is best for the party, in one years time the PNC will be the party it should have been years ago. How long will PNC members continue to feed one man’s ego while the rest of the party wallows in discontentment?

The PNC is a political party, not a Corbin cult. If you need a god to follow, go to a place of worship. If you want a political leader who cares about your interests, Corbin is obviously not the guy for the job since he just told you to put your interests aside for the party.

If I were a PNC member, I’d have a few choice words to Corbin about what he could do with his “party unity.” This mentality of party unity is what has cornered the people of Guyana into a stagnated political situation for so long.

The people are looking out for their leaders and the leaders are looking out for the leaders, but no one is looking out for the people. How twisted is this?